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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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Shelf ;M.(o.3 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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MILLER'S 




Painter's Receipt 



CONTAINING 



Valuable Receipts aud Information for 
the Practical Painter- 



i'KACTICAL PAINTKK. 



XEMA, OHIO, 

Toreliliirlit I'rintinc C.omi 
ISSl. 



St 



MILLER'S 



li!!}?iiK«|M$i^ 



^i^AINTER'S 




CONTAIN'IN'G 



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Valuable Receipts and Information for 
the Practical Painter. 



J3y K. c?, »(i:iijij:E5:Er, 

I'UACTICAI, TA 1 NTKK. 



/MSi h 



XKNIA, OHIO, 

Tortliliplit I'riiiliuK Couiinny, 

IKS I. 






Entered accord'uKj io tin act of Congress, in 
the ye.'tr 1881, ft.y R. C. MILLlUi, in the 
office of the Librarian of Congress, 
* at Washinyton. 



4' 



P REFA CE. 



TliC followiiif^ pages, prepared by the 
author from his own experience, have been 
condensed and again condensed, until no 
furtlier "boiling down'' could be done. 
The reader has here a complete compen- 
dium of the wliole work, excepting the 
key. He can in a little while become 
familiar with it, and know exactly where 
to turn to when in need oi ad\ice. 

The work was intended to be more elab- 
orate and beautifully bound for the parlor 
or library, but upon a more thorough in- 
vestigation the author came to the conclu- 
si(^n that tliat was not what painters want- 
ed, and has accordingly left out everything 
except PRACTICAL receipts. Read the re- 
ceij:)ts carefully, and then try them, and 
you Vvill find that they will work to your 
a Ivantagc. 

Xi:nia, ()., Sept. 80, 1881. 



MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. 



RECEIPTS 



DON'T UNDERRATE YOUR CALLING. 

It is a trite saying that "lamiliarity breeds 
contempt,", but whether it be true or not 
socially, it certainly is true in regard to any 
occupation followed for a liveliliood, the 
most lucrative positions being no excep- 
tion. The merchant grows weary of 
watching the markets and buying and sell- 
ing, and probably looks with envious eyes 
at the manufacturer. In turn the manufac- 
turer would prefer to exchange places with 
the merchant. 

Physicians repeatedly are heard to ex- 
claim "our's is a dog's life, for we must ever 
be ready, in season and out of season," at 
a moment's call, to attend the sick. 

The blacksmith thinks his calling too 
laborious and grimy ; the wood worker 
would prefer a trade free from dust, and 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER. 



that dispensed with the racking labor of 
drawino^ the knife; and as for the house 
painter, he sets his trade down as the sum 
of all villainies." 

Each one wearies with the dull routine 
of his every day work, althoug-h each step 
in the completion of it requires skill and 
dexterity that is amazing to those who for 
the first time witness it. 

Painters are specially given to abuse ot 
their trade. They say it is filthy ; is full of 
perplexities that cannot be overcome, and 
is withal very unhealthy. 

Now, the last named charges are true to 
some extent, but painting in any of its 
branches will compare favorably with many 
other trades in point of hoalthfulness and 
remuneration, and ranks above them in the 
estimation of many persons. 

Why, almost every human being desires 
to paint ! Even the little creeping, babe 
crows at the sight of bright Colors, and 
children at an early age prize a box of toy 
water colors above almost anything they 



6 miu.^.r's "boss" paintkr. 

may receive as presents. Just now while 
it is fashionable to paint on jxanels and 
])laques, ladies of wealth and .eisure are 
spendinn^ happy hours in the study of color 
and color effects. 

Therefore, be satisfied with your lot, and 
try to make everything- around you beau- 
tihil. 



EULES OF PAINTma. 
The following- general rules in painting- 
may be followed with advantage : a. Let 
the ground of your work be ])roperly 
cleaned, prepared aiid dry. b. See that 
your colors are equally well ground and 
duly mixed, c. Do not mix much more 
nor any less than is 'necessary for the pres- 
ent work. d. Keep the paint well mixed 
while, the work is going on. e. Have your 
paint of due thickness, and lay it on 
equally and evenly. /". Do not apply a 
succeeding coat of paint before the pre- 
vious one is entirely dry. g. Do not use a 
lighter color over a darker one. h. Do not 



mjller's "uoss" painter. 7 



iu.kl (li'3 crs to colors lony; bclorc they are 
used. /. Avoid using- any excels of dryer 
or a mixture of different sorts. /. Do not 
overcharge your brush with paint, nor re- 
plenish it before it is sufficiently exhausted. 
k. Begin with tne highest part and proceed 
downwards with your work. 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 



OILS. 



E Xj-A. 3TXC 

lo gallons B, 5 gallons RO, 2 pounds 
RN, I lb. R, 5 lbs. BX, 5 gals. SW, and 
dissolve the RN and R in i gal. of the 
RO, over a slow fire, the R having pre- 
viously been cut in small pieces. Allow it 
to stand until it becomes thoroughly dis- 
solved. Also dissolve the BX in the SW ; 
then mix all together, and it will be ready 
for use. 

The BX and SW can be left out if de- 
hired. 



Combination Oils for Mixing Paints. 

First Kind. — Twelve gals., or one hun- 
dred pounds of melted RN, three gallons 
of crude petroleum oil, fifteen gallons of B. 

Second Kind. — Twelve gallons, or one 



MILLERS 'BOSS PAINTER. Q 

■ ' ■ — « • 

hundred pounds of melted RN, three gal- 
lons of crude oil, fifteen gallons of petrol- 
eum naptha, ten gallons of RO. 

Third Kind — For reducing RO or 
Mixing Paint — one hundred pounds of 
No. 2 RN, eighteen gallons best B (or 
enough to make it woik with a brush), two 
gallons of crude petroleum oil, two gallons 
of re-run paraffine oil, four gallons of RN 
oil, or fish oil if RN oil cannot be ob- 
tained ; can mix one gallon of this No. 3 
kind with one gallon of RO, and it is 
better than all linseed for outside work. 
You can depend on the above. 



Composition Oil for Mineral Paint. 

^aLXXi.9s, ^Feaacec, Spoofs, Xrcaa. ■';X7"or^, etc. 

I bbl. CT, I bbl. PT, i bbl. B, 50 lbs. ASL, 
10 gals. AS ; mix cold. In cold weather it 
will be necessary to use more B than in 
warm. SW may be added in place of the 
mineral, which will give a gray. 

FO or CSO can be use<l to adulterate 
linseed oil. 



lO MILLERS r.OSS PAINTER. 

Drying Oil. 

RO 2 g^als., add LR, LRG and umber, of 
each 4 oz., and SL and ZS 2 oz. earh. 
Bciil sluw fur 4 liours. 

Bleaching Oil. 
The painter may do tliis by simply set- 
tinc>" a botde of oil on tlie window sash, 
where it will get the sunlight. By artificial 
methods the oil is subjected to heat, treated 
with acid, and afterwards washed with steam. 



mii.i.i-.r's "i;<')ss" rAixri-.R. 1 1 



PAINTS. 



Substitute tor "White Lead. 

WZ 75 lbs. dry, IVI R 30 lbs. Mix well to- 
_!j;'ethcr, run it throu^-'i tlic mill, or, ifyouhavc: 
no mill, a iinc stniinvr. It you want a clear 
white or tint job use RO and TT, hall" and 
half. For jjlastercd walls (inside) you will 
fmd that you will have a much better job 
than you would by using pure lead, as the 
work stands out better, and finishes like 
varnished work. If you wish a rough, 
che ip job use the elastic oil for first and 
second coats. 'J he MR can be left out, 
and PW or BT substituted. Do not put 
any dryer in until you are ready to use the 
paint. 

Subsfiiiitc for IV/iile Lead. — Nati\-e 
barytcs, or barium eulphate, is mixed with 
l)uiverized stone coal and tar, and exposed 
to an inttnse heat, i^o as to convert it into 



12 MILLERS BOSS PAINTER. 

barium sulphide. The latter being soluble 
can be dissolved out, and to the clear solu- 
tion is added a corresponding quantity of 
zinc chloride in solution. To the solution 
of barium chloride is added white vitriol 
(zinc sulphate), when a precipitate of bar- 
ium sulphate will be formed, and zinc chlo- 
ride lett in solution, which latter can be fil- 
tered and ^ain employed to precipitate 
the barium sulphide. 

The two precipitates obtained as above, 
namely, zinc sulphide and barium sulphate, 
are well washed, mixed, dried, heated to a 
cherry red, then thrown into cold water, 
and finally ground in water and dried. 
The white pigment thus obtained covers 
well, and is well suited to mix with oil, as a 
substitute for lead, especially where sulphur 
compounds exist or may be generated. 

Adultration for White Lead. 
To 50 lbs. white lead add 25 lbs. WZ 
dry, and 25 lbs. PW or BT. You will find 
that the paint will still have a §ood body 



MILLERS BOFS PAINTER. 13 

and reach as far as 300 lbs. of all pure lead. 
Mix the WZ and PW (orBT) first and run 
through the mill or strainer, then put the 
lead in after breaking it up ; use pure RO 
and TT for inside work half and half. 



Patent Ready Mixed Paints. 
The ready mixed paints that are now to 
be seen in the stores, for sale, with (lashy 
labels lauding their good qualities, do not 
contain an ounce of lead and but very little 
linseed oil. Lead, as all painters know, 
would go to the bottom, and there form a 
hard cake in course of time. The principal 
pigment used in nine-tenths of the so-called 
patent paints is WZ and PVV with umber — 
black, red, yellow, (S:c., to give them the 
proper shade. The vehicle used is the elas- 
tic oil. Any practical painter can make 
this paint at a costof about thirty-fi ye cents 
pcv gallon. 

A Cheap Paint for Rough Work. 
50 Ibb. Mineral Paint — ocher, brown or 



14 >ill.I.i:i<S 'boss PAINTICR. 

N'ciietiar. rc(l--\vhic]i ever is convenient ; 50 
lbs. P\V and 50 lbs. road dust. Then mix 
with oil and run through tlic mill, and i^ 
i^round line will do lor i)riming or second 
coating any kind of outside rough work 
and is very durable. 

By adding ■> bushel of ASL, and thinning 
with half oil and half sweet milk, you will 
still have a cheaper paint. 



How to Make Oil-Cloth. 

Dissolve GL over tlie hre in BO till 
thoroughly dissolved and the BO is brought 
to the thickness of a balsam. Spread this 
upon canvas or any other cloth, so as to 
drench it and entirely glaze it over. Thus 
a material will be formed im{)enetrable by 
water. The preparation may be used by 
itself or jthe different coloring tints added 
as desired. 

A better grade, however, can be made by 
the following method : First cover the 
cloth with a paste as follows : Take SW 
which has been completely cleaned, and 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 15 

mix to a consistency of paste, add dryers 
enough to dry it, spread over the cloth by 
means of a spatula. When the first coat is 
dry a second is applied. The unevenness 
occasioned by the coarsness of the cloth or 
the unequal application, are cut down with 
PS, and when cut down, wash off well with 
water, and arteritis dried, a varnish com- 
posed of GL dissolved in BO. It will dis- 
solve quicker by heating it. Tliin with TT 
and it is ready to apply and the process is 
complete. Add any color that you wish, 
or you can grain it if you choose. The above 
may be used for a table clotli. 



Waterproof Cloth— Elastic. 
3 lbs. RN, I lb. R, 4 gals. BO, h gal. W 
N, dissolve the RN in the BO, and the R 
after being cut in small pieces in the WN, 
add Japan enough to dry it. The cloth 
should previously be soaked in a solution 
of alum water. If the mixture becomes 
thick, heat it in a sand bath. It should be 
applied while warm. 



i6 miller's "boss" painter. 

Fire Proof Paint. 

70 lbs. WZ, 30 lbs. ASL, 50 lbs WL, 10 
lbs. ZS. Mix the WZ and ASL together 
and grind in the elastic oil, then add i gal- 
35 <^leg. SG, then the WL and ZS. Stir 
well. This will make a whire paint, and if 
you wish the color changed, add any pig- 
ment that you wish to get the shade you 
desire. 

You have enough paint in the above, to 
go about as far as 500 lbs. of pure white 
lead, at a cost of about one-third. 



Luminous Paint. 
Sulphide of calcium (Cantons Phospho- 
rus) mixed with any varnish will produce, 
what is known as luminous paint. 



Metalic Enamel Coating. 

To make a paint for covering bodies, such 
as stove pipes, ranges, and other heated 
surfaces, to produce good work it will be 
required, tirst, to coat the object wnth a 



MILLERS BOSS PAINTER. 17 

covering" of the common graphite or black 
lead. Only such colors can be used as are 
unaffected by heat, such as burnt umber, 
burnt sienna, burnt ocher, green earth, and 
red or violet oxide of iron, best sort of arti- 
ficial UB, pure chrome red, chrome green, 
burnt egg-shell WZ, and the French bronze* 
All the above can be used, any tint pro- 
duced by combining them with SO diluted 
one-half with SW. Bear in mind that it 
will be necessary to keep stirring them 
while applying, as they set very quick in 
the pot, being of a nature similar to Plaster 
Paris in this respect. The iron should be 
a litde warm so that evaporation may take 
place at once. 



Soluble Glass for Painting. 

Heretofore this substance has been but 
little used for painting purposes, for the 
reason that when combined with the earth 
and mineral paints silica is formed, a sub- 
stance which is almost entirely insoluble* 
I have been able to prevent this change 



i8 miller's ''hoss" painter. 

from taking place by the following process, 
and it will give you a paint of stony hard- 
ness, of great durability, possessing many 
good qualities in general. 1 have used suc- 
cessfully upon mantels. The dry paints 
should be ground in a size made of starch, 
(sufficient quantity of the starch being used 
to prevent its rubbing up.) SP or I-'W 
may be used in place of dry WL and give 
equally as good results. 

First coat the w^ork with 35 per cent. SG, 
thinned down with warm water, let stand 
one hour or till dry. Then ]:)ut coat over 
the work with the water color (previously 
described) until you have a good body, then 
rub down well with fine sand-paper, then 
put on a coat of the SG ; then the work is 
complete. Bear in mind the first and last 
coat must be the SG. You can put up a 
first-class job in one-half day. Give this a 
fair trial and I am confident you will use it 
continually. 

The SG will cost you about 50c. per gal- 
lon, then thinned down one-half with water 



MILLERS BOSS PAINTER. 19 

would make the cost 25c. per <^-d\. for your 
material. Heat will not blister work coated 
with this preparation. 



Waterproof Oil Rubber Paint. 

Dissolves lbs. of India rubber in i gallon 
of BO, by boiling-. If tliis is too thick re- 
duce with BO ; if too thin use more rubber. 
Especially aplicable to cloth, but valuable 
ior any other material. 



Green Paint. 

I. 5 lbs. VO, dry ; ilb. Orange Chrome, 
dry; 4 oz. Prussian Blue ; giind in oil. 

II. 5 lbs. YO, dry; 2 lbs. Canary Chrome; 
5 lbs. MR; 6 oz. Prussian Blue; grind in 
oil. 

III. 5 lbs. VO, dry; 4 lbs, Orange 
Chrome ;*3 oz. Antwerp Blue ; grind in oil. 
This makes a very clear color, which you 
can make either light or dark at pleasure. 
If you wish to make it lighter add more 
chrome or YO ; if darker add more blue. 



20 MILLERS 

This receipt is worth its weight in gold, you 

will find after using it. 

5 lbs. YO 15c 

4 lbs. chrome 60c 

3 oz. blue 5c 

I gal. linseed oil 75c 

Total $1.55 

16 lbs. emerald green $4.00 

Receipt above 1.55 

Difference in cost $2.45 

Use, No. I for first and second coats, or 
No. 2 for first and second coat and finish 
with No. 3. 

If you hav^e no mill get the colors ready 
ground in the same proportion as the dry. 



How to Mix Water with Paint. ' 

Take SA 3 oz-, caustic lime 3 oz., dissolve 
in one gallon of SW ; then stir in gradual- 
ly \ gal. RO; let stand for 3 or 4 days. 
Take one part of this mixture and mix with 
2 parts of RO. It io now ready for use. 



MILLERS BOSS PAINTER. 21 

Adulterations that may be Used in Mixing 
Paints. 

In case that you have a rough job and 
;vant to get a good body upon it at a small 
cost, use for the first coat LW, or the con- 
tents of the dissolvent keg, adding a little 
SP, or anything that you may have in the 
way of a pigment to fill the pores. 

Dust of the roacl is very good after it has 
been well cleaned. You can carry it right 
through the ist, 2d and 3d coats. 

To clean the road dust, first get a large 
tub, fill it with water, then put the dust into 
it making it about as thick as second coat- 
ing. Let it stand for a day or two until it 
is settled. Drain the water ofif the top and 
you will find that the coarse sand is at the 
bottom and the fine on top, which, after 
drying, will be ready for use. This has a 
good body and makes a durable pigment. 
It cpn be used to adulterate any dark color. 



Dissolvent for Paint Skinp. 

2 lbs. concentrated lye, 5 lbs. unslacked 



22 miller's "boss" PAINTER. 



iiinc to 15 gal. water. Put in the old skins 
and all the dirty buckets, stir them up oc- 
ciisionally. When the skins are dissolved 
pour off the lye-water and the paint in the 
bottom will do for priming rc^igh weather- 
boarding or brick walls. Do not throw the 
water away as it will do for another time by 
adding more lye to it. 



To Soften Putty and Remove Paint. 
To destroy paint on old doors, etc., and 
to soften putty in window frames, so that 
the glass may be taken out without break- 
age or cutting, take equal portions of 80 
and quick lime, and with water mix them 
into thick paste. Coat the work with this, 
allowing it to stand about an hour, when it 
must be thoroughly washed oft with water. 
This is a speedy method of removing old 
paint, but it must be used with caution. 
That is to say, the coating must be re- 
moved at the instant that solution has taken 
place, otherwise the wood will be furred up, 
and alkali deposited in itb fibers to the suL- 



miller's "boss" painter. • 23 



sequent detriment of the painting. 



Glass Frosting or Crystallizing. 

Dissolve RS in gum-arabic water, let 
stand over night, and after cleaning, the 
glass off well, How the solution on so that 
it will not run, lay the glass flat if conven- 
ient, and when it commences to set take a 
pointed stick and dot it in rows to suit the 
taste ; put the dots about i } inches apart. 
If you wish it colored use annalines — red, 
blue, green and gambuge for yellow or gold 
color ; then flow on a thin coat of Demar 
Varnish and it is finished. 



To Pearl or Crystallize Tin. 

Take sulphuric acid, 4 ozs. ; soft water, 2 
or 3 ozs., according to the strength of the 
acid; salt, i oz. Mix. Heat the tin quite 
hot over a stove or heater ; then with a 
sponge wet it with the mixture, washing oft' 
directly with clean water. Dry the tin ; 
then varnish with Demar Varnish . 



24 miller's "boss" painter. 

Permanent Size for Calscmine, &c. 

Dissolve in 20 galls, of boiling water 3 
lbs. SA, together with i lb. of BX ; then add 
to it, stirring well at the time, 5 lbs. RN 
having been previously mixed with 2 lbs. 
B, the whole kept boiling continually till 
the RN is dissolved. This composition 
dissolved in the proportion of i pound to 
30 of water, is to be mixed together with a 
G solution — made by dissolving 10 lbs. of 
G in 30 lbs. of SW, — then boil both solu- 
tions together for about 10 minutes, then 
run through the strainer. The above will 
do for plastered walls that you intend to 
paint or calsomine. 

Permanent Size for Wall Paper or Wood that 
is to be Varnished. 

I lb. white G,let soak 24 hours in enough 
SW to cover it, then add 2 gals, boiling SW, 
I pt. WN. Mix well together. This can be 
relied upon to keep without souring. Com- 
mon G will do for rough work. 



miller's "boss" painter. 25 



Common starch is a good size for wall 
paper. 



Permanent Paste for Paper Hangers, &c. 

Dissolve I oz. of AN in i qt. warm SW, 
when cold add FR to make it about the 
consistency of cream, then add half thimble 
of RN, halt oz. of SL. The above is the 
preparation for a bucket of paste. 



Glue, Waterproof. 

Take of gum sandarac and mastic, and 
white turpentine, of each, i oz., alcohol, i 
pint. Dissolve the gums in the alcohol, 
using heat if necessary, then add the tur- 
pentine, and have ready a very thick glue, 
I pint, in which there has been added ^ oz. 
of isinglass, dissolved. Make the. alcoholic 
solution boiling hot by having it in a pan 
inside of a kettle, or another pan of water, 
then slowly add the hot glue, stirring con- 
stantly until thoroughly mixed. Strain 
tinough a cloth. It is to be applied hot. 
It dries quickly and becomes very hard, 



MILLERS "j'.OSS PAINTAR. 



and surfaces of wood united with it do not 
separate when immersed in water. This 
will do to size wood that is to be varnished, 
but will require thinino- down when used for 
that purpc^se. ■ 



Lime tor Calcimining. 

^ bushel of CC, i lb. SC, =] lb. ZS, i i^al. 
SiM. For brickwork exposed to damp, the 
following' will be found to work well : •] pk. 
of fresh well burnt CC with SW sufficient to. 
make thin paste, run through strainer, add 
I lb. vSO, which has been dissolved in boil- 
ing water, make a thin paste o( i lb. of RK, 
1 lb. G, mix with the compound while hot, 
and add l lb. SA, dissolve in water, stir all 
together and let stand for one week, or 
longer. Warm before using. 

The following can be nwre easily pre- 
pared, and is very good : 

Take •] bushel of CC,and i)ut it in a kel- 
tle, put water enougii in to make a tliick 
j)aste, add i gal. RO, boil well for one hour, 



MILLERS "boss' PAIN rp.R. 27 



then let it stand over night, or the longer it 
stands the better. When 3'ou wish to use 
it, take out enough for your job, add glue 
size enough to give it a body and also col- 
oring matter to give it any desired tint, ap- 
ply with calcimine brush. 



Calsomiae- 
Whiting, 4 lbs. ; glue, 2 oz. Stand the 
glue in water over night, mix the whiting 
with cold water and heat the glue till dis- 
solved and pour it into the other, hot. Make 
of proper consistence to apply v/ith a com- 
mon whitewash brush. 



Whitewash that Will Not Rub Off. 
To every pail of whitewash prepared in 
the ordinary way add a pint of flour made 
into starch or paste.. To whitewash for the 
licn-house add gas tar, i gill to each pailful. 
This will prevent or disperse lice. 



Graining. 
Rosewood Ground. — Do not use lead 



28 culler's "boss" painter. 

for priming, use ochre. Second coat, use 
Venitian red with a Httle chrome yellow in 
it and tolerable flat. Use for last coat, 
American vermillion with a little chrome 
yellow in it. Work it almost dead flat. In 
preparing your ground, see that your work 
is well rubbed and puttied before graining. 

Van Dyke brown thinned with lager beer 
should be used for the over grain. Some 
use vinegar, but it does not work as well as 
the beer, and it should be diluted with su- 
gar and water. The growths should be put 
in with the brown in oil, which, after it is 
dry thin down and put on a glaze over all. 
Shade as you go. 

Black Walnut Ground. — Mix as near 
a dove color as you can as follows : White 
lead, chrome yellow, Venetian red, burnt 
umber and very litde black. Stipple with 
burnt umber, 3 parts ; raw sienna, i part ; 
thin with beer. A common duster will 
do to slipple with. Work in the growths 
with burnt umber in oil, with pencil blend 
them out well, and when dry put on thin 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 29 



glaze in oil, add a little raw sienna to the 
umber. 

White Walnut Ground. — Dark buff 
or rusi^et color. Stipple with raw umber in 
beer. Put in growths with raw umber, 3 
parts; burnt umber and raw sienna, i part 
in oil, and when dry thin down, glaze and 
shade. 

In graining walnut woods, use the flat 
over-grainer brush and pencils. 

English Walnut Ground.- — Light 
buff. Stipple with burnt umber in beer. 
Over-grain with Van Dyke brown in oil. 
Thin down, glaze and shade, with the same. 

Oak Ground. — Light huff. White lead, 
chrome yellow and very little Venitian red. 
Grain with burnt umber, raw sienna and 
very little burnt sienna in oil and turpen- 
tine, half and half; add a little beeswax dfs- 
solved in oil. Use the steel comb and also 
get a piece of rubber about 4 inches long, 2 
inches wide and l inch thick, and cut notches 
in it about i inch apart. Use the rubber 
for the heavy growths. 



30 MILLERS "I'.OSS TAINTER. 



After useing the rubber, draw the steel 
comb diaoonally across the work. Use soft 
canton flannel over the thumb nail to wipe 
out the lights, hearts, &c. 

Pine Ground. — Light buff. Grain with 
burnt sienna in* oil. 

Maple Ground. — Same as oak. Grain 
with raw umber in beer. Use the ])oints of 
of your lingers to make the bird eyes, and 
a flat varnish brush to make the curls, 6v:c., 
also over-grainer to make the growths. 



Stain Graiaing. 

In addition to the art of imitating the 
graining of woods, marbles, e!c., by oil col- 
ors, there are methods of bringing out with 
effect and beauty as well as of preserving 
the natural graining of woods, etc., and also 
of iiuitating, heightenin.g and improving 
them artificially, which though less prac- 
ticed is not less ingenious or worthy of at- 
tention from the grainer, it being as desir- 
able to heighten and preserv^e the natural 



MILLERS "f)OSS PAINTER. 



beauty of wood-work as by artificial paint- 
ing to imitate them or hide tlieir defects. 
For bringing out the natural grain of wood- 
work where it is of sufficient beauty, it is 
enough to apply successive coats of drying 
oil or to varnish the naked work till it bears 
out, which is sufficient for ordinary joiner's 
work, but for the nicer cabinet work in 
which the choice ornamental woods arc em- 
ployed, French polishing is necessary, 
which is performed with a spirit varnish 
containing lac, applied by rubbers with lin- 
seed oil, and is now so common as to have 
become a distinct business. In other cases 
graining may be performed on the naked 
wood with transparent colors in turpentine 
or water, which when dry may be varnished 
or French polished, or the same may be 
done on the ordinary woods previously 
stained of the colors of the more valuable 
sorts. A beautiful variety of graining may 
be executed with strong acids on plain wood 
brought out by heat, in which way the 
nitrous acids or aqua fortih applied afibrds 



32 MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 

amber and yellow shacks and the sulphuric 
acid yields shades of a dusky and darker 
hue, so as together to imitate the various 
hues of the tortoise shell, etc., after which 
the work is to be cleaned off and varnished 
or polished. 



MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. 



STAII^S. 



To Make Red Sanders Stain. 
Fill a bottle of any size a little more than 
one-quarter full of red sanders, then fill the 
botde up with AC. The AC extracts the 
color from the sanders, and the liquid is 
called sanders stain, or red sanders stain. 
The more red sanders you put into the bot. 
tie the stronger will be the stain, while it 
can a at any time be diluted with AC to 
make lighter shades. The longer it remains 
in the bottle the more color will be extracted. 
Always strani it through a piece of thin 
muslin before throwing the groirnds away. 
Ask for RED SANDERS at any drug store. 
It is a red wood dust. Ten cents per pound 
is what I have been paying at all wholesale 
druggists. Do not ask for less than half a 
pound, or you may be charged at a high 
rate. 



To Mix Sanders Stain with Asplialtum Var- 
nish. 

If you pour red sanders stain in with as- 
phaltum they will not mix of themselves, 



34 miller's ''boss" painter. 



but by adding TT sufticient to thin to a 
proper consistency, the TT will cause both 
stains to unite. The sanders ^'wes the red 
shade, and the asphaltum gives the dark — 
more or less of either will give the required 
shade according to the strength. 

N. B. — The stronger the red sanders stair 
is made the less of it will be required to giv 
siiflicient red, and of course the less AC wil 
be used. It rec^uires very little sanders to 
get red enough. It is the liquid, not tha 
grounds of the red sui lers you mix with the 
asphaltum. The grounds are, as stated ic 
making sanders stain, thrown away. Aftei 
mixing these two stains you had better strain 
it to take the dross from the asphaltum. 



On Mixing Ag in. 
Red sanders stain can be mixed with um^ 
ber ground in oil or turpentine. TT will 
mix it with all other colors, -and it is better 
and more of a mahogany or rosewood red 
than all other stains. TT will also mix as- 
phaltum with umber, and make it adhere to 



MILLERS "POSS PAINTER. 



the wood better. In fact, a number of 
practical experiments can be made with San- 
ders and asphaltum mixed with many other 
colors, turpentine mixing them either with 
oils or alcohol colors, and of course with tur" 
})cntine colors. 



Wood Stains. 
Light Woods to Mahogany. — Mix red 
Sanders stain and asphaltum stain (see mix- 
ing stains), and when it is the desired 
color apply with a brush. Do not have the 
stain too thick. If the wood is not stained 
sufficiently red to suit your fancy, you may 
put red Sanders stain into the varnish, and 
every coat of the stained varnish will make 
the wood more red. N. B.^The stronger 
the red sanders stain is made the less it takes 
to color the varnish. And thus you use less 
AL which is at present i)rices the most 
expensive article you have to get. Thin the 
varnish when you mix stain with it for first 
coat ; by so doing you can spread the color 
more evenly (in mixing stains and varnishes). 



36 miller's "boss" painter. 

Walnut to Light Mahogany.— With 
either a rag or brush rub over the wood a 
coloring of red Sanders stain, and you have 
a perfect mahogany. And by either oilfinish- 
ing or varnishing, the color will be brought 
out. Red Sanders stain dries almost im- 
mediately, and can be finished right off. 

N. B. — Some walnut wood is light, some 
dark, consequently make the stain strong or 
weak to suit the wood. You can at any time 
give more coloring to the wood if neces- 
sary by mixing stain with the varnish, even 
after varnish has been applied to the wood. 

Walnut to Dark Mahogany. — First go 
over the work with asphaltum stain then 
with the Sanders, be sure you do not have the 
asphaltum too thick or the work will be too 
dark. 

Another Mahogany Stain. — Dragon's 
blood used the same as red sanders, but it is 
too expensive and does not stand so well. 



MILLER S "BOSS PAINTER. 



}^ 



Again. — By applying aquafortis diluted 
with water to dark new woods will make a 
mahogany, but I don't recomend it, as aqua- 
fortis is expensive and dangerous. 

To Darken Mahogany. — Use sal soda 
or lye, but do not have it too strong ; dilute 
it with water. This is to make light mahoga- 
ny into dark Spanish. 



Mixing Staius w\th Varnisli'' s. 

Red Sanders stain and asphaltum stain can 
be mixed with the varnish. If the varnish 
is made from turpentine they will mix read- 
ily. If made from oil or alcohol, turpentine 
will cause the asphaltum to mix. 

Knoty Pine Mahogany. — Mix whiting 
with warm water to consistency of thick 
whitewash, put in as much Venetian red as 
will gi\e it a red appearance; now mix in 
sufficiend dissolved glue as will make the 
mixture adhere to the wood. By giving the 
T.'ood two coats of this mixture the flaws* 
knots, etc' will be hidden, and when well dry 



38 miller's "boss" painter. 

rub off the loose sizing, then varnish with red 
Sanders stain in the varnish, and you have a 
very good appearing stain. Brown umber or 
any colors may be used in the above sizing to 
suit the fancy for colors, or to darken the 
mahogany. 

Walnut for White Wood. — A solution 
of equal parts of permanganate of potash 
and sulphate of magnesia applied to white 
wood by means of a brush will produce an 
excellent brown color resembling walnut. A 
second coat may be required after the first 
coat is dry. 

Walnut Again. — Burned umber, burned 
sienna and boiled linseed oil ground fme. 
This is not durable, as the oil or varnish is 
required to protect it from coming off. 

Walnut Again. — One ounce gum asphal- 
tum, three or four ounces of turpentine, one 
ounce boiled linseed oil, and Venetian red to 
color red — an old way. 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER. 39 



Imitation Black Walnut. — Popular or 
White wood treated as follows will assume 
the appearance of the finest black walnut. 
The wood must be dry and warm, and then 
coated once or twice with a strong aqueous 
solution of extract of walnut peel. When 
half dried the wood is brushed with a solution 
compounded of i part by weight of bichro- 
mate of potassa in 5 parts of boiling water, 
and after drying thoroughly is rubbed and 
polished. The stain penetrates to the depth 
of from one-twelfth to one-sixth of an inch. 

For Rosewood. — Disssolve two ounces 
pulverized extract of logwood in one pint of 
boiling water (better let it boil till dissolved). 
Apply two coats to the wood while hot, and, 
to make the rosewood grain, stripe it accord - 
i:ig to fancy, when dry rub oif all the black 
you can with a rough cloth. 

Rosewood Again. — Half pound ofredsan- 
ders and half pound logwood, boiled in one 
gallon of water for one hour ; strain and add 



40 miller's "b(^ss" painter. 



half and ounce of powdered AM ; go over 
the wood with this while hot, and when dry; 
form dark streaks with logwood without red 
Sanders, boiled in the same proportions- 
The dark streaks can be made black by add- 
ing one-quarter of an ounce of green cop- 
peras to the gallon of a pure logwood stain. 
You can shade the first mixture by propor- 
tioning the red sanders and logwood in first 
stain. 



Beautiful Shades on Ligtt Colored Woods 

Can be made by holding a flat piece of red 
hot iron close to the wood so as to scortch 
it irregularly; also by heating sand as hot as 
you can and throwing it on the work in un- 
even thickness. This will bring out very beau- 
tiful shades. 

Cherry. — Rub over the light wood the red 
sanders stain and it will be a good cherry, 
but do not have the stain too strong or it 
will be too red. 

Cherry Again. — Boil one ounce onnotto 
in twelve ounces rain-water ; when the color 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 4I 

is well extracted put in a bit of potash the 
size of two peas, and keep it on the fire a 
half hour or longer. This raises the grain. 

Satin ^^'ooD — Can be obtained with very 
light red sanders stains on light woods. It 
must only be tinged. 



Stains for Veneers. 

Red. — Brazil wood, fourteen parts ; alum 
four parts ; water, eighty-five parts. Boil. 

Blue. — Logwood, seven parts ; blue vitriol, 
one part; water, twenty-five parts. Boil. 

Green. — Verdigris, one part; vinegar, 
three parts. Dissolve. 

Yellow. — French berries, seven parts ; 
water, ten parts; alum, one part. Boil. 

Purple. — Logwood, eleven parts ; al um 
three parts ; water, twenty-nine parts. Boil. 

Apply the above with a rag, hot (except 
the green). These stains will raise the grain 
and must of course be rubbed down before 



MILLER S 'BOSS PAINTER. 



varnishing. They will not be suitable to go 
over old varnish, but are good for new ve- 
neers. 

Remember This. — It is impossible to give 
the quantities in many receipts. Some times 
you purchase things with more coloring mat- 
ter, and less would be required. The liquids 
are sometimes of a higher proof, and in 
a thousand and one ways you may go wrong 
if exact quantities were given. Experiment 
with a very little, and not spoil or waste any 
large quantity. This refers to shades of 
stains mostly. 

Staining Floors, Old or New. — To half 
a pint of asphaltum varnish, add two table- 
5i)oonsful of umber (ground in oil); thin this 
with boiled oil and tuq^entine (half as much 
oil as turpentine); then shade with red Sand- 
ers stain, and by mixing a little turpentine 
varnish it will wear better. Ap])ly with a 
brush, not too thick, and mix in a little Japan 
dryer to dry the varnish. 

Orange Stain. — Use vermillion op-K5a> 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER. 43 

mine mixed with chrome yellow, and be sure 
and have a good full yellow, or it will look 
poor or watery. 

Salmon Stain. — Dutch pink and red 
Sanders stain. 

Flesh Color. — Can be made by using 
different quantities of Dutch pink and red 
Sanders stain. 

Purple Siain. — Lake united with Prus- 
sian blue or carmine. 

Purple. — To a pound of good chip log- 
wood put three quarts of water, boil for an 
hour, then add four ounces of pearlash and 
two ounces of indigo pounded. 



44 MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 



VAR NIS HES. 

Gloss Vanish. 
Take i gall. RO. boil for one hour, then 
add 4 lbs. RN. stir till dissolved, add i gall. 
TT. I oz. GC. I pt. SH. 



Copal Varnish. 

5 lbs. pulverized RN dissolved in i gall. R. 
O. I pt. Japan, 2 galls, B, : gall, TT. i qt 
WN. It will not be necessary to heat the 
RO to dissolve the RN. An elastic varnish 
can be had by adding 3 oz of R cut in small 
pieces and dissolved in RO, by warming. See 
that it is well dissolved then strain and add 
to the above. 



Common Vainish. 

6 lbs pulverized RN, '}lb Beeswax, i^ gall 
RO, I lb M. Boil for one hour, thin with 
TT or B until warm. 



Damar Vamisli. 

One of the difficulties to overcome in 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER. 45 

making a clear colorless varnish, is the milky 
opacity usually present when dissolving the 
gum in the oil of turpentine. This opacity 
is owing to moisture being present in the gum 
and not certain parts of the gum remainiug 
undissolved, as is commonly supposed. The 
moisture having first been driven off, a clear 
colorless solution results. Many of the other 
imperfections of a poor article is owing to the 
presence of this same moisture. The crack- 
ing is largely owing to this, as little bubbles 
are often formed, hence the uneven surface. 
They also cause the varnish to spring. To 
prove this it is only necessary to procure a 
small quantity of the best Damar the market 
affords ; add to it one drop of water and it is 
at once changed to one of the inferior 
grades. The varnish manufactured by the 
following process the author found to be 
colorless, pefectly transparent, dries quick- 
ly, a high gloss, and will not crack, peel or 
become tacky. The main object is to re- 
move the moisture. This can be done by 
eraporating a solution of the gum, or dry- 



46 miller's "boss" painter. 

ing it first. To do this, a porcelain-lined 
kettle is necesary, in which place the gum 
and heat over a slow fire. Great care must 
be taken to keep the gum from taking fire. 
The author,s plan has been to have a cover 
loosely fitting the kettle, its edges or rim 
covered with cotton having been saturate d 
to a slight degree with water, and the cove r 
suspended by a cord over the kettle. In 
case of fire it can be lowered at once and 
the flame extinguished immediately. In 
making the varnish, five parts of the gum 
should be taken to four parts of the oil of 
tpn., or 85 oz. of the gum to every 4 gals, 
of the tpn. 

Mixture of Varnishes. 
When different varnishes are mixed, they 
should always be allowed to stand for sev- 
eral days before useing, in order to give 
them time to assimilate. 

Good White Hard Varnish. 

One quart of good AL, ten ounces 



MILLERS BOSS PAINTER. 47 

gum sandarac, two ounces gum mastic, 
half an ounce of gum anime ; dissolve in a 
clean can or bottle by shaking often till dis- 
solved, and strain. 

WLite Hard Varnish. 
Dissolve gum anime in nut oil, boil it 
gently as the gum is added, giving it as 
iiiuch gum as the oil will take up, and while 
cooling dilute it with pure turpentine ; this 
will do for the ground, also fur the japan- 
ning for white. It takea some time to hard- 
en, but it is durable. 

Body Varnish for Coach Painters. 

Eight pounds of fme gum anime, two 
gallons of clarified oil, three gallons of 
good turpentine, boil slowly for four hours. 



48 miller's "eoss" painter. 



DRYERS, 

How to Mate and Use Th'in. 
With respect to drying the well-known 
additions of sugar of lead, litharge and sue- 
phate of zinc, either mechanically ground 
or in solution for light colors, and Jappan- 
ner's gold size or oils boiled upon litharge 
for lakes, or in some cases verdigris and 
manganese for dark colors, may be resorted 
to when the colors or vehicles are not of 
themselves sufficiently good dryers alone, 
but it requires attention as an excess of 
dryers renders oils saponaceous, is inimical 
to drying and injures the permanent tex- 
ture of the work. Some colors, however, 
dry badly from not being sufficiently edul- 
corated or washed, and many are improved 
in drying by passing through the fire or by 
age. Sulphate of zinc as a dryer is less 
efficient than the acetate of zinc, but is to 
be prefc'Tcd with some colors. It is sup- 
posed erroneously to set the colors running. 



MILLER S BOSS PAINTER. 49 



which is positively not the case, though it 
will not retain those disposed to it because 
it Incks the property which the acetate 
possesses of gelatinizing- the mixture of oil 
and varnish. These two dryers should not 
be employed together as frequently direct- 
ed, as chemical action takes place and two 
new substances are formed, one of which 
is perfectly insoluble, and the other poor 
in its drying properties. The state of the 
weather and atmosphere exert a great 
influence upon the drying of paints, oils, 
etc. The oxygenating power of the direct 
rays of the sun renders them peculiarly 
active in drying oils and colors, and was 
probably resorted to before dryers were 
thought of. The atmosphere, too, is im- 
bued with the active matter of light, to 
which its drying power may be attributed. 
The ground may also advance or retard 
drying, because some pigments, united 
either by mixing or glazing, are cither pro- 
moted or obstructed by their conjunction. 
Artificial heat also plays an important part. 



so riLLFRS 'BOSS PAINTER. 

The various affinities of pigments oc- 
casion each to have its more or less appro- 
l^riate dryer, and it would be a matter of 
useful experience if the ha''- its of every 
pioment in this respect were ascertained. 
Dryers of less power than the above, such 
as the acetate of copper, viassicot, red lead 
and the oxidis ofmaganese, to which um- 
ber and the cappagh browns owe their 
drying quality, and others might come into 
use in particular cases. Many other acci- 
dental circumstances may also affect dry- 
ing. Dryers should be added to pigments 
only at the time of using them, because 
they exercise their drying properties while 
chemically coml>ining with the oils em- 
ployed, during which the latter becomes 
thick or fatten and render additional oil and 
diyer necessary when again used. Acetate 
of lead dissolved in water, S]:)irit or turpen- 
tine may he used as a diyer of oil paints 
with cnnvenitnce nnd ac]\antage in some 
cases. In the employment of dryers it will 
be necessary to guard against the follow- 
ing : 



miller's "boss" PAINTER. 5 1 



(A.) Not to add dryers to those pig- 
ments which dry well of themselves. 

(B.) Not employ them in excess, which 
only retards the dryino^. 

( C.) Not to add them till the color is to 
be used. 

(D.) Make use of only one kind at a 
time. 

(E.) Impurity of the pigments some- 
times retards drying, in which case it should 
be washed. Another point should be ob- 
served, ^nd that is that one coat of paint 
should be thoroughly dry before another 
is applied ; tor if the upper surface of paint 
dry before the surface beneath, it will shrivel 
by the expansion and contraction of the 
under surface as the oil evaporates and 
dries. Overloading with paint will be at- 
tended with the same evil, and if the upper 
surface be of hard or brittle varnish, crack- 
ing of the paint will be the result. Always 
avoid using old fat paint that is to be var- 
nished over, and always put your dryer 
into your paint before breaking up or 
thining. 



52 MILLER S BOSS PAINTER. 

Dryiug Property of Linseed Oil. 

The activity (dryincr power) of pure lin- 
seed oil is represented — according to M^ 
Chevreul — by 1,985, and oil treated by 
manganese with an activity of 4,719, yet 
when they are mixed the sum of the activ- 
ities (drying powers) will be 30,828. There 
are substances which increase the drying 
property of pure linseed oil, and others 
which seem to retard the drying. Experi- 
ments made by M. Chevreul elicited the 
following facts, namely : 

" Linseed oil with one coat applied upon 
glass was dry after 17 days. 

"The same oil, mixed with oxide ot An- 
timony, took 26 days to dry. In this case, 
the oxide of Antimony was an anti-dry cr. 

"Linseed oil, mixed with oxide of Anti- 
mony, and applied upon a cloth painted 
with white lead, was dry after 14 days. 

" The same oil mixed with the Arseniate 
of protoxide of tin, was not hard after 60 
days. 

" Oak wood appears to possess the anti- 



miller's 'ross" painter. 53 

drying property to a high degree ; Poplar 
to be less anti- drying than oak, and Nor- 
way Fir less than Poplar. 

" Experiments proved that a first coat of 
linseed oil on oak was dry, only on the 
surface after 32 days ; and three coats took 
159 days to dry. 

" Three coats on poplar wood dried in 
27 days, and on Norway fir in 23 days. 

" One coat of linseed oil given upon 
surfaces of copper, brass, zinc, iron, por- 
celain and glass, was dry in every case, 
after 48 hours." 

M. Chevreul believed that a substance 
may be drying, or anti-dr^^ing, under dif- 
ferent circumstances. He claims that 
metallic lead is drying toward pure linseed 
oil ; and white lead, which is well known 
as possessing drying properties, is anti- 
drying towards linseed oil applied upon 
metallic lead. 

Japan Dryer— Best Quality. 
RO I gal., and put into it i lb. SH, i lb. 
LRG, •] lb LR, 6 oz. SL. Boil in the RO 



54 miller's "boss" painter. 



unil all are dissolved, which will require 
about 4 hours ; remove from the hre, and 
when very near cool add i gal. TT, and 
stir it uj:> well ; then it is done. B can be 
substituted for TT, if you wish. 



Japan Dryer. 
RO I gal., .1 lb SH, 2 lbs M, i lb ZS. 
Boil about 4 hours, and when very near 



cool add i^ gal. B. 



Japan Dryer. 

9 gals, of RO, lolbsLRG. lolbs LR, 
7 lbs of Black oxide of M. Boil all together ; 
then add 30 lbs of Kowery Gum and when 
near cool add 35 gals. TT. This a good 
dryer and can be depended upon. 

Japan Flow, for Tin and Iron. 

Take gum sandarach, i lb.; balsam of 
fir, balsam 01 tolu, and acetate of lead, of 
each 2 07S., and linseed oil, 2 pint. Put 
these into a suitable kettle, over a slow fire 
at first, then raise to a higher heat until all 
are melted ; now take from the fire, and 



MILLER'S "boss PAINTER. 55 

when a little cool, stir in spirits of turpen- 
tine, 2 qts., and strain through a fine cloth. 
This is transparent ; but by the following 
modiffcations any or all the various colors 
are made from it. 

Hlack. — Melt asphaltum, 2 ozs., in spir- 
its of turpentine, i pint ; then rub up 
Prussian blue, ■] oz., with a little of it, mix 
all well, and strain; then add the whole to 
one pint o/lhe first, above. 

Blue. — Take indigo and Prussian blue, 
both finely ])ulvcrized, of each, '. oz.; spirits 
or turpentine, i pint. Mix well and strain. 
Add of this to i pint of the first until the 
color suits. 

Red. — Take spirits of turpentine, -] pint ; 
add cochineal, •] oz.; let sta.nd 15 hours, and 
strain. Add of this the first to suit the fancy. 

Y F.I. LOW. — Take i oz. of ]nilverized loot 
of curcuma and stir of it into i pint of the 
first, until the color suits ; let stand a few 
hours and strain. 

Green. — Mix equal parts of the blue and 



56 miller's "boss" painter. 



yellow together, then mix v/ith the first until 
it suits. 

Orange. — Mix a little of the red with more 
of the yellow, and then with the first, as here- 
tofore, until suited. 

In this simple \vay you get all the various 
colors. Apply with a brush. 

Varnish for Grate Fronts, &•;. 

Asphaltum varnish with enough Ivory 

Black in it so that it will cover well. Do not 

mix more than you wish to use at one time, 

for when it stands long it does not do so well. 



miller's ''boss" painter. 57 



FILLERS. 



Wood Filling. 

I lb CS, ^ pt. BO, -3 pt. Japan, i lb TS, i 
gill SH varnish, mix well together; for dark 
wood add very little burnt umber ; thin with 
B or TT ; apply with stiff brush ; let it stand 
till it sets ; rub off with Excelsior shavings or 
rags; get all out of the corners with sticks or 
putty knife. 

I have used this filler for a number of years 
and can recommend it to the trade. For 
light woods use more SH varnish and less 
Japan, unless your Japan is very good. 



A Filler for Porous Hard Woods. 
Use good BO and CS stirred into a very 
thick paste, add a little Japan, then reduce 



58 miller's "boss" PAIxNTAR. 

with TT. For dark ash and chestnut, use a 
httle raw sienna; for wahiut, burnt umber 
and a sHght amount of Venetian red ; for bay 
wood, burnt sienna. In no case use more 
color than is required to overcome the white 
appearance of the starch, unless you wish to 
stain the wood. This filler is worked with 
brush and rags in the usual manner. 

Let it dry 48 hours, or until it is in condi- 
tion to rub down with No. o sandpaper, with- 
out much gumming up, and if an extra fine 
finish is desired, fill again with same ma- 
terials, using less oil but more of Japan and 
TT. The second coat will not shrink, it 
being supported by the first coat. When the 
second coat is hard, the wood is ready for 
finishing up in any desired style or to any 
degree of nicety by following u]) the usual 
methods. This formula is not intended for 
rosewood-and will not be satisfactory if used 
therefor. 



A Cheap Filler. 

If you have a job that you have to })ut 



miller's "boss" painter. 59 

through in a short time, make a strong size 
out of common G, and common starch, half 
and half; dust off the work well and size, 
and when dry rub down with sandpaper, dust 
off again, and it is ready for either varnish or 
paint. 



A Good Filler. 
2 qts. 'FT, I qt. BO, !, pt. Japan, i ] lbs PS 
pulverized, 3 lbs PW, i 11) French yellow, 2 
Jbs plaster paris, i It) LRG. This filler is 
worked with brush, rags, and Excelsior shav- 
ings in the usual manner. It must be worked 
quick, as it sets fast. For dark woods add a 
small quantity of burnt umber and B sienna. 



Putty for Work that is to be VarnislTed. 

For puttying inside work, take one-half 
SW, one-fourth bees- wax, one-fourth RN; 
powder the RN very fine, mix it with the SW, 
then melt the bees- wax in one-half oil and 
one-half TT, put all together in an old sauce 
jjan and heat gradually, stirring and mix in 
color ; for walnut, match with burnt umber, 



00 MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 

and burnt seinna, or Venetian red; for light 
woods, but little if any coloring but the in- 
gredients. After thoroughly heated and 
mixed, take off and let cool, enough to 
thicken up for working on a board ^oiled or 
covered with whiting, work it into rolls about 
an inch in diameter ; in using have a candle 
or lamp and round-pointed knife ; heat the 
knife and fill the holes quickly leaving hole 
round-full ; rub off with a bit of sand-paper. 
After an hour or two, this putty will match 
the wood perfectly and will never swell nor 
shrink, and after a little practice, the worlv 
can be done just as quick as with ordinary 
putty. If you are hurried for time and are 
obliged to use shellac, use white shellac ; 
this leaves the wood clear and don't have 
that nasty sickly look as when brown shel- 
lac is used. 



Hard Oil. 

In I gal. RO put in 4 ozs. of SH and 2 
oz. of beeswax. Boil slow for about four 
hours, then let it settle. I sometimes add ^ 



miller's "doss" painter. 6r 

\\\ of RN, which makes it as heavy as var- 
nish, and if loo heavy thin with TT. Work 
it the same as you would varnish. 



Hard Oil Finish. 

There are a number of ways of putting 
up this kind of work. In the first place fill 
the wood with the filler, then rub down and 
putty up, wilh dust off wel', then flow on 
the. hard oil, and when dry cut it down wilh 
No. o sand-paper and flow on another coat. 
When dry cut it down with pulverized PS 
and sweet oil. If you wish a polished job 
How on another coat, making one of filler 
and one of hard oil. This last coat must 
get hard, then polish with rotten-stone and 
BO with woolen rag, and chamois-skin to 
do tlic cleaning with. 

Another Way. — Get a good body with 
rubbing varnish or common copal ; then 
cut the gloss off w^ith BO and PS. This is 
the usual way furniture is finished, and is a 
very cheap way. 



miller's "boss" painter. 



Hard Wcod Finish and Filling. 

Very few persons desire a hi.c^h gloss on 

inside work, so there is very little need of 

varnish for this purpose, still, a high gloss 

may be used sparingly with a most happy 

effect, — especially in large rooms, on raised 

mouldings, &c. The finisher, himself, must 

always be the judge how the work must be 

done. In kitchens, pantries, &c , where it 

has to be cleaned often, especial pains should 

be taken that it be done well, that it may 

stand the wear. The oil will have to be 

used principally. Chambers, &c., where 

greater care is usually taken in the selection 

of wood, and the surface less exposed to 

friction, we can leave it, as far as the color 

is concerned, the same as it is left by the 

carpenter. The first thing, of course, is the 

proper preparation of the surface. The 

surface may be rough and the ^rain raised 

by moisture. If such is the case, go over i^ 

carefully with No. 1 1> or 2 sand-paper, taking 

care always to sand-paper in the direction 

of the grain. Hammer-marks, if found. 



miller's "boss" painter. 63 

should be touched a few times v\idi a moist 
spong-e until they come up even with the 
other surface. 



Oil Polish on Wood. 

Fill the grain with SH varnish or wood 
filling- ; give two or more coats, sand down 
antl apply two or three coats of oil polish ; 
when thoroughly dry rub with tripoli and 
water unlil a polish is secured. Again cut 
the polish with fine PS and water and pol- 
ish with sweet oil and rotten-stone. The 
French method is to use powdered tri[)oli 
and BO to bring up the polish. 



Slating for Blackboards. 
There are quite a number of ways of do- 
ing this class of work. I find that the great 
secret in jHitti ng up a good blackboard is 
to use no oil of any description in any of 
the coats. If it is a plastered or papered 
wall you wish to slate first give it a coat of 
G. size ; then rub it down lightly with fine 
sand-paper; then give it a coat of SI I var- 
nish and LP enoucrh to <'ivc it a fair bodv. 



64 miller's "boss" painter. 

If on wood omit the sizing. Then give two 
coats of either of the following: 

I. — 2 qts. AC, -2 lb. SH, 12 drachms LP, 
20 drachms UB, 4 oz. powdered RS, 6 oz. 
powdered PS. 

2.— I gal. AC, I lb. SH, h lb. IB, 5 oz. o^ 
EP^ 4 oz. of UB. 

3. — Take equal parts of PS and LR and 
grind them in a mixture of TT and best VS ; 
add enough LP to make a dark color, tlien 
thin with TT until it is perfectly flat. Ap- 
ply with a brush and blend over. 

4.— I gal. WN, I lb. SH, 4 oz. LP, 4 oz. 
UB, 1 2 lb. SW, 2 oz. PS and powdered em- 
ery. The WN is cheaper than AC and 
does as well. 

5. — I gal. SH varnish, 4 lb. black M. 2 
lb. SW. 

All the above must be kept well stirred 
while using them, and when you are through 
put what you have left in a bottle and cork 
it up and it will keep for a long time. If at 
any time the slating is too thick, thin with 
AC. 



miller's ''boss" painter. 65 



Sign Painters' Department. 



To Gild on Glass. 

Size : Take a piece of isinglass about the 
size of a twenty-five cent piece, and put in 
a pint of rain water scalding hot, stir until 
tlie isinglass is dissolved, then filter through 
filter paper ; then add one tablespoonful of 
good whisky ; let stand i day before using. 
This size will keep a year in a bottle corked 
ui). It will work much better when it has 
stood two or three weeks. 

Good, clear white G will answer if vou 
have no isinglass. 

It is sometimes very convenient for the 
house painter to know how to do a job ol 
glass gilding, and after a little practice it 
can be done very successfully by following 



66 miller's "boss" painter. 

the directions here given. In the first place 
good work cannot be done on poor glass. 
If plate glass cannot be had, then the best 
French glass should take its place, for to the 
purity of the glass do we owe the greater 
part of the briliancy of the work. Having 
secured the glass, proceed to clean it per- 
fectly with whiting and water, polishing the 
work-side with tissue paper. Apply the 
size plentifully to the glass with a clean 
camels hair spalter, and with a tip throw on 
leaf somewhat in excess to the space needed 
for the work, and when this is done let the 
whole dry, setting it up edgewise. When 
dry, take refined cotton and rub briskly un- 
til the desired lustre is obtained. If most 
of the leaf has been rubbed away, no mat- 
ter, the lustre is there. Now lay a second 
coat in the same manner as the first. When 
dry go over it again with cotton, lightly, 
then wash it with sizing repeatedly if a 
spotless surface is desired. When done it 
is ready for the design, which must be drawn 
on paper, pricked and pounced on the gold 



miller's "boss" painter. 67 

in a reverse position, for the same is to show 
from the opposite side of the glass. Hav- 
ing pounced it, proceed to paint out the 
whole design with drop black in japan, ex- 
cept such places as may need coloring or to 
be flatted. Then wash off the surplus gold 
with water. If the sizing is a little too 
strong, add a trifle of naphtha to the water 
when washing. Such places as are to be 
colored can now be attended to. If flat 
gold is to form any part, the space left for 
it is to be laid with ordinary varnish-size 
and leaf laid in the ordinary manner, which 
on the opposite side in contrast with that 
which is burnished will be very dead or flat 
Do all shading backwards, and when this is 
dry all is done and if glass, tools, water 
and room are clean, a fine job may be ex- 
pected. Silver leaf is worked the same way. 



To Gild on Wood, &c. 

First get a good body with flat paint, not 
less than three coats on wood, or two on tin 
or iron, rubbed down smooth. If it is a 



68 mii.lkr's "boss" painter. 



sign you wish to gild, avoid laying off with 
lead pencil; use soft chalk, then brush off 
with duster. 

For size : use old fat linseed oil, the older 
the better, mixed with orange chrome yel- 
low, put a very little best Japan in it, thin 
with TT. Let stand lo hours, or until it is 
tackey, then gild. 

There are various methods practised by 
painters in laying gold-leaf. The old meth- 
od, required the use of a " Tip, " Cushion, 
and gold -knife. Tlie tip is a cam els -hair 
brush or lifter, made from two Inyers of 
pasteboard, between which a small quantity 
of camels-hair is laid flat and the parts 
glued together. The cushion is simi)ly a 
})iece of chamois skin stretched tigh'dy over 
one side ol an oblong piece of wood six by 
eight inches, a layer or two of woolen cloth 
or of cotton is, however, first fastened to the 
board. The gold-knife has a long narrow 
and flexible blade with wooden handle and 
is worthless for any other, than the purpose 
Intended. The gold book is held in the 



miller's "boss" painter. 69 

left hand, and a leaf of the book carefully 
turned back which exposes a leaf of gold, 
which is pressed upon the cushion by a 
dexterous reversal ot the hands. Should 
the leaf wrinkle, a puff of the breath direct- 
ly from above it, will usually straiMiten it. 
Next, with the gold-knife, cut the leaf into 
the widths required for th-e work, and by 
means of the tip, lift so much as the hairs 
will cover, and apply to the "size" beginning 
at theouterend of the hair. ' ■-' "" '■-' 

The tip must be drawn over the hair or 
beard occasionally in order to cleanse it 
from small particles of gold, and to slightly 
grease it. Ornaments, letters, and scrolls 
are usually gilt from the book direct. An- 
other mode is to remove the gold-leaf to an 
empty book the leaves of which have been- 
slightly greased with soap or beeswax, aAer 
which the book is cut up into the required 
widths, and the gold is laid on by exposing 
and applying it from the cut-pieces. 

Gilding Frames. 
This class of work requires more appli- 



70 MILLLRS "BOSS PAINTER. 



ances than the general run of house paint- 
ers have. I use gold lacquor and sometimes 
good coach varnish for size. Bronze may be 
used with good success by coating over it 
with clear white SH varnish. 



Flock and Bmalt. 

If it is a gold sign you wish to flock or 
smalt use slow drying colors and very thick 
taking care that the color is not fat or greasy, 
or it. will spread and show a rough edge. 
?To flock or smalt other work see that the 
work is flat where you do not want the flock 
or smalt to stick. 

I would recommend you to make your 
own smaltsi You can do it at a cost of 
about one cent a pound. Any good, fine 
s md will do- See that it is clem, put i gal- 
lon sand in a kettle, heat it hot ; keep stir- 
ring until it is dry, then put in about 2 oz. 
of mixed color — the color that you wish, 
(the color should be mixed in good BO,) 
keep stirring until all the sand is colored 
even, then spread it out in the sun to dry, 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 7 I 

Stir it up occasionally and it is ready for 
use. If you wish you can add a smair 
quantity of pulverized glass or glass frost- 
ing. 



To Silver on Glass. 

1. Dissolve 12 grains of RS in boiling 
water ; then add, while boiling, i6 grains of 
NS, having been previously disj^olved in 
one ounce of water ; continue the boiling 
for ten minutes ; then add water to make 
12 ounces. 

2. Dissolve I ounce of NS in lo ounces 
of water ; then add liquor ammonia until 
the brown precipitate is nearly, but not 
quite, dissolved ; then add i ounce alcohol 
and sufficient water to make 12 ounces. 

To silver, take equal parts of Nos. i and 
2, mix thoroughly, then pour upon the 
glass in the same manner the photographer- 
applies his solutions, or it may be applied 
with a brush. It should be applied to thi 
glass while its surface is wet, and should 
previously be carefully cleaned with soda 



72 MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. 



1 



and rinsed with clean water. Distilled wa- 
ter should be used lor makinsf the solutions. 
About two drachms of each will silver a 
plate two inches square. The solution 
should stand and settle for two or three 
days before being used ; it will keep a long 
time. 



* The Method of Lettering. 

This anal3^sisis that of the Roman alpha- 
bet proper, usually denominated tlie Ful 
Roman. It is the most perfectly formed of 
all the alphabets, making no departure from 
strictly geometric rules, but adhering in 
every particular to lines which are either 
perfect curves or straight lines- Many 
Roman alphabets — so called — such as the 
Straight Roman ; the New York Roman, 
etc., are not correctly speaking, the true 
Roman, from the fact that the curves arc 
not perfectly constructed, varying from a 
true circle. In this analysis we have adopt- 
ed a method in very general use by the 
best authorities on this subject, each letter 



MILLERS "boss PAlNfER. 73 

being placed upon a frame work of five 
spaces in heij^ht and five spaces in width, 
.thus chiving to the student a just proportion 
-Of the letters as compared one with another, 
and also enabling him to increase or dimin- 
ish the size of the letters simply by enlarg- 
ing or diminishing the size of the squares ; 
by this method the letters can be extended 
or contracted by changing the proportion 
of the width of the squares, as compared 
with their height, and the letters can also 
be placed at any angle. The working scale 
or size of square should always be equal to 
the width of the body or stem of the letter. 
It will be seen that the letters differ very 
materially in width, as for instance, A, C, 
D, G, K, M, O, O, R, T, Y, Y, Z and the 
character &, are all full width letters, that 
IS, the height and width correspond ; while 
in B, F, H, L, N, P, S, Uand X, the breadth 
is 4-5 of the height, and in the W, the 
breadth is greater by 2-5 than the height. 

The V»ody of the letter should be 1-5 ot 
its height, except in the curved letters, wlien. 



74 MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 

it should be widened a trifle, as otherwise it 
would have the appearance of being thin- 
ner, owing to the fact, that the space be- 
tween the curved lines always appears less 
than that between straight lines. The fine 
lines should be hair lines, and when a scale 
of one inch is used, that is, in five inch let- 
ters, this line should not be over one line, 
or J of an inch in size. The width, or 
spread of the small curves, (sometimes 
called grace lines ) should be i the width of 
the body of the letter, and the spurs should 
project as much farther, thus together equal- 
ing 1-5 of the height of the letter. In some 
cases it is necessary to make the curves and 
spurs at the bottom of the letter a little Ion 
ger than at the top. 

The A is a full letter, the outside oblique 
lines should be drawn from a point, i-io of 
the width of the letter, to the right of the 
center, upon the upper line ; the cross line 
should be a little below the center of the 
letter ; the grace lines and spurs upon the 
hair line should be made heavier than 



miller's "boss ' PAINTER. 75 

those upon the body. 

The B is a four-fifths letter; the cross 
Hne should be placed a trifle above the 
center, thus making the lower curve a little 
longer than the upper, and giving the letter 
stability of form ; the curves can be made 
with compasses, by using the points marked 
with crosses, as centers ; the width 
of the body of the curves should be a 
trifle more than one-fifth of the height of 
the letter. 

The C is a full letter ; the outside line is 
the circumference ol a perfect circle; the 
inside curve can also be drawn with com- 
passes by changing the center as shown in 
diagram of this article, illustrating a cres- 
cent. The body of the letter should be a 
little more than one-fifth of the height, and 
the heaviest part should be below the cen- 
ter ; the perpendicular line on the head 
should be a litde within the circle, so that 
the lower part of the letter will appear 
broader than the upper part. 

The D is a little less than a full letter ; 



■jd iMILLER's "boss" rAlNTER. 

the larger curve is a perfect arc ; the inner 
curve can be made by changing- the center 
and using the same radius as for tlie out- 
side curve ; the body of tlie curve' should 
be a trifle wider than the upright l^ody. 

The E is a four-fifths letter; the lower 
should be a little longer than the ujjper ; 
the grace lines of tlie heads should be long 
and made with perfect curves; the perpen- 
dicular of the lov/er head should be ex- 
tended a little longer than the upper ; the 
center piece should project just one-half of 
the distance to the outside of letter, an <! be 
placed a little above the center. 

'J'he same rules apply to the F, which is 
a four-fifths letter, with the exception that 
the perpendicular of the centerpiece, 
should be a little longer than in the K. 

The G is a full letter and the rules for 
making it :\re the same as for the C, with 
the exception th it the greatest width of the 
body should be directly at the center of the 
letter; the lower right Land part bhould be 
fully one-fifch of the width of the letter 



MILLKRS BOSS PAINTLR. ''-]-] 

and the horizontal Hne should be drawn a 
Htlle below the center, and extend from the 
center, to the same distance outside of the 
letter as the spurs. 

The H is a four-hfihs letter; the cross 
line should be placed above the center, and 
the lower grace lines should be a trifle 
long'er than the upper. 

The I is one- fifth of the height : the lower 
curves should be a little longer than the 
upper. 

In the proportions of the J, authorities 
differ, some giving it four-fifths, and o heis 
three-fifths of its height ; in this analysis I 
give it as a three-fifths letter ; the ball is 
two fifths of its height, and should be an 
oval in form. 

I'he K is a full letter; the body is one- 
fifth oi the height : from the upper inside 
point of the body draw an oblique line to 
the lower right hand corner of fifth space, 
then form a point on the body, two-fifths of 
the height of the letter from the bottom 
line ; draw another oblique line to the up- 



78 miller's "boss" painter. 

per right hand corner of the fourth space 
on the upper line. This will give a correct 
outline lor the K ; a more definite under- 
standing can be had from studying the 
plate. 

The L is a four*fifths letter; the perpen- 
dicular line of the arm should be about 
one-half ihe height of the letter, the same 
as in the F. 

The M is a full letter ; the middle lines 
should meet the lower line at a point three- 
fifths of the width from the right hand of 
the letter ; the small curves on the hair line 
should be heavier than on the Other letters. 

The N is a four-fifths letter; the grace 
lines should correspond with those of the 
M ; the left hand one, however, should be 
a trifle heavier than the right hand. 

The O is a full letter, and can be made 
by following the rules for making the G. 

The P is a four-fifths letter; the cross 
line should be at the center of the height of 
the letter ; the curves can be made with 
compasses, and the body of the curves 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER. 79 

should be a little more than one-fifth of the 
width of the letter. 

The Q is a full letter, and is made the 
same as the O ; the tail should extend to 
the outside limit of the letter, to the right, 
and should be at least one-fifth of the 
height of the letter, below the line ; and it 
will be found well not to vary much from 
the line of beauty in its form. 

The R is made the same as B or P, with 
the exception that the tail is extended, 
making it a full letter ; the shape of the 
tail varies with different authorities, either 
being brought down to a horizontal base 
and finished with a spur, or curved at the 
end; in either case the general outline 
should be the line of beauty. 

The S is the most beautiful and the most 
difficult letter of the alphabet to form cor- 
rectly; it is a four-fifths letter, and it is 
formed by two lines of beauty ; the upper 
half should be a little smaller than the lower 
half. A convenient manner of drafting thi9 
letter is as follows : take as centers, points 



So miller's "hoss" painter. 

ihrec-tenths of the height of the letter, from 
the left hand upper corner -and rij^ht hand 
lower corner, describe two circles, and 
connect arcs. This is not al)solutely cor- 
rect, yet it will serve as a guide to untrained 
hands, and from it can be formed a perfect 
letter by chanfjino; the curves a little. 

The T is a full letter ; the upright lines 
should be two-fifths of the height of tiie 
letter, and the grace lines should corres- ' 
pond with those of the E and F. 

The U is a four-fifths letter; the hair line 
on the right, with the grace lines, corres- 
pond with those in the N ; the curves at 
the bottom is made with a radius of two- . 
fifths of the height of the letter. 

The V is a full letter ; the hair line, with 
the grace line, is formed similar to those in 
the U ; the point where the oblique lines 
meet on the lower line, should be equally 
distant from the outside limits of the width 
of the letter. 

The Vf occupies more space than any 
other letter, being a seven-fifths letter ; th 



miller's "boss" painter. Si 

points on the lower line for the meeting of 
the obliqne lines, should be two fifths of the 
jieifjht of the letter, from each side, and the 
body of the second V should occupy the 
middle space of the upper line, of the whole 
width of the letter. This can best be un- 
derstood by studying the plate. 

The X is a four-fifths letter, formed sim- 
ply by an oblique cross ; care should be 
taken, however, to have the upper half a 
little smaller than the lower half 

The Y is a full letter ; the upright part 
of the body should be just one half the 
height of the letter, but the point where the 
hair line connects with the body, should be 
a little above the center of the letter. 

The Z is a full letter; the lower arm 
should occupy the whole width of the letter, 
but the upper arm should be about one 
line shorter ; the perpendicular lines from 
the arms should be about two-fifths of the 
height of the letter, the right hand one be- 
ing a trifle longer. 

The character & occupies a full space. 



82 miller's "boss" painter. 

In the form of this character, authorities 
differ very materially. It is an abreviation 
of the Latin word Et, meaning and, and 
originally was a perfect representation of 
the letters E and T, but time has changed 
its form so that its original signification 
can scarcely be distinguished. The form 
given here is the most popular as well as 
the most graceful ; and coming the nearest 
to the original, it can be made as follows : 
with a radius equal to about three-tenths of 
the height of the character, describe an arc 
of three-quarters of a circumference, from 
the left hand termination of the arc, with a 
loop form a curve ending in an oval, this 
forms the E ; from the other extremity of 
the arc draw a Hne of beauty to the upper 
line of the space, this forms the cross of the 
T and completes the character ; the body 
of the curve should be one-fifth of the height 
of the letter. 

The finished block, either round or 
square, will be given the same space as the 
Roman. 



MILLERS 'BOSS PAINTER. 



83 



The unfinished block will all occupy the 
same space, except the M, W and H, which 
will require one-fifth more space , the / 
one-half the space. The rule for the for- 
mation of all letters is as follows : 



' a a — Top and bottom lines. 

b b — The space the letter occupies. 

c — Center line. 

d d — Body lines. 

e e — Used only for block letters. 

In laying off work avoid using the lead- 
pencil. I would recommend the use of 
soft chalk, which can be rubbed off easily 
when finished. 



84 miller's "r.oss"' painter. 



A good way to space a sign that is to be 
painted on a brick wall is to follow a mor- 
tar joint for top and bottom lines: Count 
t'ne number of bricks running through, and 
divide by the number of letters and spaces. 
l'\)r example you wish to paint the word 
Gtocety; you have here seven letters; 
give one-half of a space at each end, which 
would make eight letters and spaces, and 
the sign is 20 bricks long. The size of the 
space for each letter would be 23 bricks, 
and I ] brick at each q.\\<\. The same rule 
can be observed on board work by meas- 
uring the length of the line, and dividing 
into feet and inches. 



MII.I.ER'S "J'OSS" PAINTER. 85 



Carriage Paisiting Depart- 
ment. 

The iimiii olrjccl lu be altaincd is to get 
ii j^cocl foundation to work upon. In work- 
ing rough stuff carriage painters get too 
much oil in it, and it docs not dry ; and 
when they go to rub it down it rolls u[). 



Mixing Hough Stuff. 
Tlie methods oi" mixing rough stuff are 
as various, almost, as the faces of the 
painters who are required to mix it. The 
chief requisite is to select certain coarse 
gritty pigments, such as yellow ochre 
French umber or English filling. What- 
cvei" paint is selected, it is of vital import- 
ance that the paint should be ground ex- 
ceedingly fine. The liquids rcfjuired are 
confined to japan, oil, turpentine and var- 



86 miller's ''boss" painter. 

iiish ; and they must be selected an d pro- 
portioned according to the time allowed 
for the rough stuff to harden. Japan 
hastens, and oil retards the drying. The 
following recipes have been tested and are 
known to be good : 

1. English filling, 5 lbs.; keg lead, i Ib.l 
mixed into a stiff paste with equal parts of 
either gold size or best brown japan^ 
and three-day rubbing varnish ; add a gill 
of raw oil. 

2. Yellow ochre or French umber, 5 lbs.; 
keg lead, i h lbs.; mix stiff in japan, and add 
a gill of raw oil, and a half pint of the bot- 
toms of wearing varnish. 

3. Burnt umber 3 parts, silica 2 parts, 
yellow ochre i part ; mix stiff in either 
brown japan or gold size, and bottoms of 
wearing body varnish. 

The above recipes produce tough, dura- 
ble coatings, but :or lightn'ng dryers omit 
the oil and oil lead. 

The carriage painter will save labor by 
using clean color varnish and brushes ; 



miller's "boss" painter. 87 

m. 

always strain your color before using ; 
never mix more than is sufficient for im- 
mediate use ; never draw from the can more 
varnish than is necessary, and if you should 
l.ave any left do not put it back in the can 
without straining. 

The methods of doing work oi this class 
are various. I will endeavor to explain my 
method. First clean off the work ; get it 
free from grease and dust ; rub down all 
rough places ; then give it a good coat of 
rough stuff; let it get dry. Then plaster 
it well w'ith putty, which is made as follows : 
If it is an old job, or new, and you have l^ut 
little time, use SW mixed into a stiff paste 
with rubbing varnish, with a little good 
japan; (use no oil). When dry cut it down 
with sand- paper ; then flow on two good 
coats of flat color, the last coat with a little 
rubbing varnish in it ; then cut it down with 
PS : then coat with rubbing varnish, w ith 
very little color in it ; then cut all down until 
it is level, when it is ready for striping; 
then flow on the finishing varnish. 



88 milt.kr's "uoss" painter. 

» 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Tlie house painter can make time by 

knovvinof how to take aclvantag-e of work ; 

r)r, in otlier words, how to sHght work. 

Window sash sometimes takes more time 

Lhan all the balance of the outside work, 

md in priming, if you take them one by one, 

t requires considerable labor. A better 

vay is to get two glass boxes and lay the 

ash on them flat, with the muntins down^ 

•ne on top of the other evenly ; put as 

lany on the boxes as you can reach down, 

nd it will be the same as painting the in- 

de of a box; use a 4-inch flat brush. I 

)metimes give sash two coats the same 

ay before glazing, which will also save 



miller's "boss" palntek. 89 



time, and the work does as ^^■cll. One good 
coat will do for the tracing-. In painting 
old sash run around the stiles, letting the 
tracing go for the first coat ; then trace 
tiie second coat. 

Brackets and scroll work shovld always 
be primed belbre they are put up ; and you 
will make time by giving them two coats, 
using the same color that the work v/ill be 
finished in ; then in the finishing coat you 
can leave edges. 

Blinds. — If they are pivot or revolving 
slat lay the blind on the tressle, with the 
t)ar down ; then paint the lop side of the 
slat; then turn the slat over and paint the 
other side ; then paint the stiles and the 
etl^e next to you; then turn the blind over, 
and you will find both sides of the slat 
painted. Paint the bar; then the cdi^Q of 
slat; then in next the stile; then the stile; 
then set it away and wipe up the other side. 

Sv/ingiHg Scaffold. 
It is a well-known fact that the swino- is 
a great improvement no the old style way of 



90 MILLER S ''BOSS PAINTER. 

doing work, and for the information of the 
uninitiated I will give a description of how 
to rig and work them : The two ropes should 
be 5 inch in thickness, and i6o feet long 
each with double pulley-block above and 
single below. The stirrup should be made 
of rope ; a ladder will do for the stage. It 
the roof of the house is flat use a scr.ntling 
to fasten the falls, to let about three inches 
of the scantling project over the cornice. 
Some have iron rings in the end of the 
scantling to hook the fall into ; others use 
rope ; either will do. I prefer to use hooks 
instead of the scantling. I find that for 
general use they are the best. They are 
made of 5x2 inch wagon-tire iron, and are 
shaped thus : 




T hey are large enough to go over a very 



miller's "boss" painter. 91 

large cornice. The top point is round and 
sets in a block that has a hole sunk about 
one half inch in. The block is 5x16 inches 
and i\ inches in thickness, and round at the 
bottom, to work in gutters. I also hav2 
another set to work on shingle roofs. They 
are flat on the bottom and have spurs that 
stick into the shingles; so that there is no 
danger of slipping. They can be worked 
on gables, even if the roof is steep, and to 
get to the puint of the gable, after pulling 
the scaffold up as far as it will go, set up a 
small ladder (or pair of steps) on the stage 
and you can reach it all. 



Varnishing. 

In the proper manipulation of varnish 
lies to a considerable degree the secret of 
its presenting fullness and brilliancy. The 
same make of varnish applied by two dif- 
ferent methods of brushing, will often pre- 
sent so great a difference in beauty as to 
give the impression that one body was fin- 
ished with an A No. i grade, while the other 



(j2 MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. 

will appear to be quite the opposite. 

F^inishers who flow on heavy coats of 
varnish, and spread it over a considerahle 
si)ace before they level it up — as a rule — 
produce the best work, and are the least 
liable to lay in complaints about seedincss, 
brush marks and runs. 



Painters' Colic. 

I have known a great many painters who 
claimed they took liquor as an antidote to 
that complaint, and I have noticed -this fact, 
that those who took the antidote were the 
most liable to be attacked by the colic, so I 
liave come to look with suspicion upon attacks 
of that kind, as I think that in a majority of 
cases, the liquor is more at fault than the lead, 
and that is a very poor antidote that don't 
prevent. I, myself, learned the trade while 
die lead system was in vogue, and had my 
sliare of it, yet L never had an attack of paint- 
ers' colic in myhfe, and which I attribute to 
being temperate in my habits. 

A Preventative. — If the painter will use 
pure olive oil occasionally but regularly, at 



MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. 



table, he will find it a preventative of paint- 
ers' colic. The free use of niilk is also ben- 
eficial, to those on whom it does not induce 
constipation. This however, may be correct- 
ed by adding salt, say as much as will lie on 
a dime, to a goblet full of milk. 

Gold Varnist. 

A permanent gold varnish, says a writer in 
the Furniture Gazette^ which does not lose 
its color by exposure to air and light, may be 
])repared in the following manner: Two 
ounces of the best garancine or arit/.cial alize- 
rine are digested in a glass vessel, with six 
ounces of alcohol of specific gravity 0.833, f^^" 
twelve hours pressed and filtered. A solution 
of clear orange-colored shellac in similar al- 
cohol is also prepared, filtered evoporate:l, 
until the lac has the consistency of a clear 
syrup ; it is then colored with the tincture of 
garancine. Objects coated with this have a 
color which differs from that of gold only by 
a slight brownish tinge. The color may be 
more closely assimilated to that of gold, by 



94 miller's "boss" painter. 



the addition of tincture of saffron. 



Frosting Glass. 

The ScienH/ic American of recent date 
gives the following method of frosting window 
glass without the use of paint: Clean the 
glass and moisten it with ordinary hydofluoric 
acid. As soon as the frosting is satisfactorily 
completed wash off with water. 

I have not tried the above, but think that 
it will work. 



Recipe for Luminous Paint. 
Take loo parts of rosin oil, which is to be 
boiled in a suitable pan with 30 parts of fresh- 
ly slacked lime, raising the heat by degrees. 
This mass is at first lumpy, then becomes 
tougher and afterward passes into a thin liquid. 
At 300° Fahr., the entire surface of the liquid 
becomes luminous in the dark. At 380° 
Fahr., the bluish- white light is very strong in 
t he dark. Objects dipped in the liquid re- 
main luminous for some time. 



Distemper Painting. 
The carbonate of lime or whitening e:Ti.- 



miller's ''boss" painter. 95 

ployed as a basis, is less active than the pure 
lime of fresco. The vehicles of both modes 
are the same and their practice is often com- 
bined in the same work. Water is the com- 
mon vehicle, and to give adhesion to the tints 
and colors in distemper painting and make 
them keep their place they are variously mix- 
ed with the size of glue. Too much of the 
glue disposes the painting to crack and peel 
from the ground, while with too little it is fri- 
able and deficient of strength. In some 
cases the glue may be abated or altogether 
dispensed with by employing plaster of Paris 
sufficiently diluted and worked into colors, 
by which they v^ill acquire a good surface and 
keep their place in the dry with the strength 
of fresco and without being liable to mildew 
to which animal glue is disposed, and to which 
milk and other vehicles recommended in this 
mode are also subject. Of more difficult in- 
troduction in these modes of painting is bees- 
wax, although it has been employed success- 
fully in each of them, and in the encaustic of 
the ancients who finisned their work therein 



c;6 mii.ler's "ix)ss" painter. 

by heating the surface of the jjainting till tlie 
Avax melted. 



Paint Blistering. 

In regard to paint blistering, chipping and 
cracking, many theories are indulged in, bu^ 
few persons seem the positive as to the ca ise. 
But i find it necessary to separate them in 
order to discuss the subject fairly. 

The cause of blistering I am satisfied, from 
close observation, is owing to the presence of 
water, either in paint or the material to which 
it is applied, with the action of the sun upon 
it; and is not the fault of the painter. 

The reason of paint cracking and chipping 
off, belongs to the painter's inexperience, and 
may be avoided, I am fully convinced, by 
preparing the work before painting with a 
coat of pure good drying linseed oil. 

Observation of tlie course pursued by e\- 
l)erts in applying mastic to brick walls, led mc 
to try the ex])eriment of oiling wood with dry- 
ing oil before painting, and I have since in- 
variably m.et with success, besides adding 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 97 

greatly to the durability of the paint. 

The best oil that I have ever used for this 
purpose, is the raw linseed oil, made drying 
by a liquid oxide, called Siccohast, which is 
well known in this part of the country; it 
makes a superior drying oil to that which is 
boiled, because it is not sticky, even in hot 
weather, and never cracks. 

When I first commenced to use zinc paint 
I was much troubled to prevent its cracking 
but by close observation I found that it did 
not retain oil like carbonate of lead, the wood 
absorbed more of it, and also I discovered 
that it dried as hard in six weeks, as lead did 
in six months, thus convincing me that it re- 
quired different treatment. 

The oil spoken of I can obtain, which dries* 
in six hours, and I make use of it for all my 
work outside and inside ; oiling the new wood 
before paintihg, and old work upon the out- 
side, (if very dry,) as well as mixing with 
paint. 

Spontaneous Combustion. 
Various substances, both mineral and organ- 



98 miller's "boss" painter. 

ic, are liable to spontaneously acquire a tem- 
perature which may lead to unexpected com- 
bustion. Under favorable conditions the fol- 
lowing substances ignite spontaneously. 

Finely powdered charcoal, coals containing 
iron pyrites, lamp-black impregnated v/ith oil 
containing a large proportion of hydrogen, 
lucifer-matches, greasy rags, clean rags that 
have lain undisturbed for a considerable 
length of time ; wood ashes, hay, cotton, flax, 
hemp, leaves, spent tan, strav/, saw-dust, etc. 

Lamp-black, oil, waste rags and saw-dust 
should be carefully guarded by the carriage 
builder, if he would remove the cause for se_ 
rious losses by fire. The painter shoulil 
not insert an oily palette or putty-knife into a 
paper or box containing dry lamp-black ; nor 
allow waste rags, saw-dust or tan to remain 
for any great length of time at rest in any hid- 
ing place. While the paint shop presents the 
greatest liability to spontaneous combustion, 
the trimming and wood shops are not exempt 
from danger. Scraps of cotton and woolen 
cloth stored away and forgotten ; also moss 



MILLERS "boss PAINTER. 99 

and excelsior may suddenly burst into flame. 
Fine sawdust in conjunction with grease or 
oil from the wood worker's bench should re" 
ceive the most watchful care. 



Colored Fires. 

It often happens that when some celebra- 
tion, procession, or other public demonstra- 
tion takes place, there is an unexpected large 
demand for colored fires, and the ordinary 
supply of prepared colored fires is quickly ex- 
hausted. A few good recipes are therefore 
desirable and should be within the reach of 
all druggists that any sudden call may be sup~ 
plied. The following formulas are recom- 
mended as they do not emit any deleterious 
fumes. For red, take 

Powdered nitrate of strontia 8 parts 

Powdered chlorate of potash .... 4 " 

Shellac in coarse powder 2 " 

Lycopodium 1 " 

For green, use of 

Nitrate of Baryta 9 parts 

Shellac 3 " 



100 MILLER S "BOSS PAINTP:R. 

Chlorate of potash 1 1 " 

For blue, use of 
Ammoniacal sulphate of copper . 8 parts 

Shellac i " 

Cholorate of potash (coarsely powdered)6 " 

These mixtures should be in fine powder 
except when coarse is mentioned. They 
burn slo.vly, give a good light, and can be 
used as well for parlor theatricals. 

Contracting. 
Outside Work. — To get at the number 
of yards there are of wall or weatherboard 
I would suggest the following method : Add 
the number of feet front and rear to the 
feet in length (both sides). Multiply this 
by the average height. Divide the product 
by 9, which will give the number of yards 

to be painted. 
Example — 

Front 30 feet 

Rear 30 " 

Side 40 " 

Side 40 " 



140 



MILLERS "BOSli PALNTER. lOl 

Multiply by average height 25 

Too 
2S0 

9)3500 

Square yards 389 

In some sections it is not customary to 
count in windows and doors solid. The 
painter should have extra for all outside door 
and windows. Windows will average three 
yards ; doors and casings five yards. If 
you think you can do the work for twenty 
cents per yard, the windows would be 
sixty cents apiece ; then mulitply by the 
number of windows. The door would be 
$1, which you will also multiply by the 
number of doors. 

Inside Work. — There are times that 
the painter cannot go all through a house 
and measure everything in it that is to be 
painted. I have made bids on work and 
never seen the house, inside often minutes. 
The method I have is to average all inside 



102 



MILLER S "boss PAINTER,. 



work thus : i side of door and frame, i 
side window and frame, i base-board, i 
mantel. If they are all measured up the 
average will be five yards apiece ; at 20 cts. 
per yard would be $1. Count the number 
of sides and multiply by $1, and you will 
have the cost of all the work. 



Weights and Measures of Paints. 

The figures here given are the results of 
careful experiments, and will prove as 
nearly right as is possible to make them : 

Weights — 
Turpentine, i gal. will weigh. 
Varnish 
Linseed Oil *' 
Japan 
Pure lead mix'd i eal. " 



pounds 



72 

9 
20 



Priming Woodwork — 
I lb. pure lead will prime . . .4 sq. yds. 
" ad'lt'rat'd " " "... 5-} " 
" substitute" " " ...8 
" ochre " " ...,7 

Priming Brick Wall — 



MILLERS "BOSS PAINTER. T03 

1} lb. lead will prime i sq. yd. 

The other paints the same in proportion. 

On plastered walls you can calculate on 
the material going- 1 4 times as far as on 
woodwork, and if the wall is hard finish it 
will go still farther. 5 pounds substitute 
will finish a ceiling 15x15, giving it three 
coats ; and you will have a much better job 
than if you use lead. 

Conclusion 

I do not mean to say that these methods 
of preparing and using paints are the best 
by any means ; but they are the recipes 
collected by me in my varied experience, 
and only those are given which I am every 
day using. It has cost me considerable 
time and money experimenting and paying 
for recipes, all of which have been herein 
offered with improvements made by myself. 
Yours, R. C. Miller. 



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